


Petals In The Wind

by CrippledCryptid



Series: Petals In The Wind [1]
Category: Wynonna Earp (TV)
Genre: Emotional Hurt/Comfort, F/F, Fatherly Nedley, Homophobia, Minor Waverly Earp/Champ Hardy, Multi, Nedley thinks of the kids like his own, Okay Champ Hardy, Slow Burn, Trans Male Character, Trans Man Nicole Haught, Trans Nicole Haught, Transphobia
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-06-18
Updated: 2020-07-12
Packaged: 2021-03-04 02:26:46
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 6,761
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24796141
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CrippledCryptid/pseuds/CrippledCryptid
Summary: Nick Haught doesn't think he'll ever find someone who likes him for who he is.  A big upheaval, a shitty father, and a big move has left him with nothing but his family, until he meets a brunette who is determined to get him to see the big picture - and to see himself as the world sees him.  But high school is a war zone, and Purgatory High is no different.
Relationships: Nicole Haught & Chrissy Nedley, Nicole Haught & Michael Haught, Nicole Haught & Randy Nedley, Waverly Earp & Chrissy Nedley, Waverly Earp/Nicole Haught, Xavier Dolls & Nicole Haught, Xavier Dolls/Wynonna Earp/Doc Holliday
Series: Petals In The Wind [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1820884
Comments: 11
Kudos: 87





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Well hello there! 
> 
> Just a note, this chapter deals with heavy transphobia at the hands of Nic's father. If this bothers you, please skip to the next chapter - this chapter is not required to understand the story, simply opens it up. Nic will recount this in later chapters. This was written at work, I have no beta, all mistakes are mine. 
> 
> Chapters will be uploaded as I'm able to write. This is my first fic in a very long time, and I've been slowly getting back to writing now that the term is over. Enjoy!

**June 19, 2014**

The screen door slammed against the wall of the home as a body burst through it, taking off down the street in a dead sprint, the person just wanting to get away from the situation she had fled. Tears cascaded down his cheeks, flying into the air. 

Inside, another fight was brewing. 

“I cannot believe you!” she spat, staring at the man who stood before her. Her hands shook as she stared at him, eyes piercing directly into his soul. “That is our child, Joseph! Our son!”

“That is not our son. Our son is upstairs, in his room. No, what Nicole is doing? She’s living in sin, Helena!” Joseph burst out, just as loud as she had been. “She’s living in sin, and I will not accept her being in this house while she does so. Unlike you, I’d like to see my daughter in Heaven. I won’t have her being some-some-some tranny!”

Helena stared at him, wondering just where her understanding, loving husband had gone. 

“Where the hell did this come from, Joseph? Twenty minutes ago, you told our child, our _son_ , in case you’ve forgotten with all that biblical nonsense in your head, that no matter what he said, no matter what he did, you would still love him,” her voice was eerily calm, dropped into a volume just above a whisper. Joseph felt a shiver run down his spine. His wife was always scariest when she was mad, when she was really, _really_ mad. 

Seeing the shiver, Helena took a step forward, causing Joseph to step back. 

“That is our child, Joseph. When we had him, we signed up for everything that came with having a child. We signed up to have a child that we loved, no matter what. If our daughter is actually our son, then we have another son. If you don’t like it, then maybe you aren’t the man I married 22 years ago.”

Joseph’s face turned red and his fists clenched tight against his palms, cutting semi-circled grooves into the roughened skin, a result of over 30 years of farming. 

“I didn’t sign up for a gay child or a tranny!”

“Matthew, 22:36-40! _‘Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy_ _neighbour_ _as thyself’_. Joseph, I will not stand here and debate bible verses with you,” she said, voice firm in a way that Joseph hadn’t heard in years. Not since Nicole had gotten to high school, not since Michael. 

“I won’t have my daughter sullying my family, nor our image! No child of mine will be a-a tranny!”

Helena stood there for a moment, the words hitting her like a slap in the face. After a moment, she gathered herself. She turned on her heel, preparing herself for what she was about to say. 

“Then we’re leaving, and you can stay right here and tell the people in your beloved church that your ex is a sinner, and so are your two kids.” 


	2. Purgatory

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Updated 7/7/2020

Nick slid out from the SUV and stared at the house that his uncle lived in. The house was old, for sure, but seemed to be in much better shape than some of the other homes that lined Purgatory. There was a small porch swing sitting upon the right side of said porch. Nick could remember sitting there every summer when they came up to Purgatory to visit their Uncle until the visits suddenly stopped when he was ten. 

Nick slid his backpack onto his back and adjusted it, shifting it and puffing out a sigh. He couldn’t believe the whirlwind of activity in the last few weeks that led them here. 

“You know,” Michael said, leaping out of the truck behind Nick, “It’s a little ironic we end up in Purgatory.” He patted Nick’s shoulder as he spoke, humor in his voice. 

Nick couldn’t help the little snort that escaped him. Ironic? Yes. Funny? Not so much. This move had been hell on each of them, with her mother divorcing and leaving the only place she’d called home for the last 23 years, to leave the farm, and stability. He couldn’t find anything humorous in this entire situation. 

All because of him. 

He threw Michael a look that told him exactly what he was thinking and Michael backed off, raising his hands in surrender. 

Nick tightened the grip on the backpack strap that was slung over his left shoulder. He adjusted it, looking back at the house. Michael noticed the tension in his brother’s body. 

“Hey,” he said, taking Nick’s hand in his and giving it a squeeze. “Joseph is a dick and a half. This? This was worth it. You deserve to be happy too. And mom says the same thing.” 

Nick smiled at him, a little forced and strained. No matter what Michael said, there was still an underlying tension that remained, both in mind and body. They had to leave Rock Springs and move to fucking _Canada_ because of him. No matter what Michael and their mother said, he still felt guilty. 

His only light in this was the fact he got to see Uncle Nedley and Chrissy again. Plus, he guessed starting fresh at a new school wouldn’t be so bad. Fresh start and all. No one knew who he was besides Chrissy and Michael, and he knew neither of them would breathe a single word to anyone else. 

Nick squeezed Michael’s hand back as the door swung open, and Nic’s face lit up like it was Christmas Morning when he saw who had stepped onto the porch. 

“Uncle Nedley!” he yelled, Michael laughing the entire time. Unable to contain himself, Nick took off towards the porch. His backpack bounced upon his back, and he couldn’t help but put a bounce in his step as he ran towards the porch with Michael following right behind him. Nedley joined Michael in his laughter and reached out to encase the young man into a tight hug. Unknowingly to Nick, tears appeared in his eyes as he took in his nephew. He looked good - he looked happy. He looked like he was secure in who he was, and Nedley couldn’t help but squeeze the boy even tighter. 

“Well hey there, bean pole!” the man said, holding his nephew in a boa constrictor hug. “You grew!” 

“That happens when you get older,” Nick shot back, just as Michael made it to the porch and dropped his bag on one of the rocking chairs. 

“Well, you’ve grown into a fine, tall young man. Michael, get your ass over here and hug your Uncle Nedley.”

Michael laughed as Nick smiled, his face lighting up brighter than Michael could remember seeing in a long time. The young man pulled away from the hug and let his brother hug their uncle. He looked back at the car to see his mother stepping out of the car and watching them. 

Helena watched with a sweet, happy smile stretched across her face. Nic had always been closest to his uncle, even as a baby. She looked over at Michael, who was now hugging his uncle tightly. Unbeknownst to her, he was whispering something in Nedley’s ear, something that only he and Nedley would ever know. She looked on her two children. She hadn’t seen them so happy in years. 

She was lost in her thoughts when she was startled out of them. 

“Well now, don’t leave your brother hanging, Helena!” Randy Nedley shouted from the front porch, ever the elder, embarrassing brother. 

Helena laughed and shut the car door before making her way to her beaming children and her brother. 

This was their second chance, and she wasn’t about to give it up. 

Helena walked her way to the porch and arrived just as Michael had finished hugging his uncle. Both children stood on either side of Nedley, and in that moment, Helena realized just how tall both of them had gotten. Even at 14, Nick stood somewhere around 5’3, and at 15, Michael stood somewhere around 5’5. They had both inherited their parents’ heights, that’s for sure.

“Give me a hug, then,” Nedley said, and Helena laughed as she enveloped her brother in a tight hug. 

“God, I missed you,” Helena whispered into his ear. 

“I missed you too,” Nedley responded, and patted her shoulder. “It’s so good to see you, even under the circumstances.” He pulled back. He looked like he wanted to say something more, but instead gave her a look that said they’d talk later. She nodded her head to him before he turned to the kids. 

“Alright, you two. Go on up, there’s a free bedroom. Go up the stairs, it’s the first door on the left. Pick who gets which bed, and if I hear any fighting, you’re both sleeping on the couch. Get settled, then come down and help us unload, you hear?” 

The two were off and up the stairs with quick shouts of understanding, and then out of sight completely. Nedley chuckled, shaking his head at their antics. 

“Think they’ll fight?” 

Helena shook her head. 

“No. You should see them lately, Randy. Michael has become Nick’s protector, barely lets him out of sight sometimes. He’s become a role model, almost. He’s become you.” 

Her voice, while tinged with a bit of sadness, was filled with an immense amount of pride. In just four short weeks, Michael had gone from being the aloof, grumpy sibling that wanted nothing to do with Nick, to the amazing masculine role model that Nick looked up to. Though, she imagined that Nick had looked up to his older brother for much longer than they would ever know. 

Nedley nodded, face stoney. 

“I always knew he could be,” he stated, glancing towards the open door, showing a set of stairs. He listened for a moment, trying to see if there were any fighting going on. When he heard nothing, he turned back to his sister. 

“Chrissy’s at school, but she’ll be home in two hours. That gives us time to start unpacking the trailer, and she can help when she’s home,” he stated. 

“She doesn’t need to,” Helena stated, “She probably has homework to do.” 

“It won’t hurt her to get her hands dirty. Lord knows she could use some physical labor to knock that silliness out of her head. You know she’s a cheerleader now? I swear, I can’t keep up with half the things she does with that team.” Nedley sounded exasperated, and Helena chuckled. 

“It was the same way with Michael and the football team. I never knew if he was coming or going. Now, shall we? If I remember right, it gets dark pretty quickly around here. And cold. How do you survive the cold?” 

Nedley laughed, patting Helena on the shoulder, “Oh, you’ll get used to it again.”

* * *

Nick bounded up the stairs, taking them two at a time as Michael laughed from behind him. 

“We’re going to the same room, you know!” he said, laughter in his voice. Nick ignored him and quickly entered the landing. 

First door on the left, he thought, and turned to find the bedroom that he found was set up for the two of them. 

“You want the window?” he asked, looking at the two beds that were set up. Both were futons, but looked comfortable enough. Sunlight shone in and landed on one bed, pushed up against the wall with the headboard against the wall and one side towards the wall, while the other sat on the opposite wall, in the same position as its twin. 

“Sure,” Michael said, dropping his bag on top of the bed. He flopped onto it, letting out a sigh of pure relief as he did. “Comfortable. Nice futons!” 

Nick laughed. 

“It’s Uncle Nedley, of course his futons are nice.” 

He followed suit and flopped onto his, surprised by the cushiness of the material. Nick let out a groan and sank in, closing his eyes for just a moment. He was exhausted. The last 20 hours had been fraught with complications; long hours in the car, cramped muscles, and the inability to move around had made tensions rise, especially with Nick’s seemingly inability to sit still for longer than twenty minutes. It had led to bickering in the car, and multiple stops. The border hadn’t been fun for any of them, but with the proper paperwork having been done ahead of time, they’d been on their way to Alberta. 

Both boys rested there for a few moments before Michael sat up with a groan. 

“All right, it’s time to go help unload,” he said, already sounding exhausted. Nic groaned, but followed his lead. They made their way down the stairs and to the front door. 


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Settling in and our first wayhaught meeting

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ooh boy. It's been much longer than I wanted it to be between takes. But! It's done now. I've written this almost entirely while working due to my job being really dead in one area. At my other job things are going wild, and we're transitioning to a new electronic health record. I don't have chapters written out, so more than likely chapter updates will be sporadic. For now, enjoy.

“Chrissy!” 

Chrissy stopped dead in her tracks at the call of her name, coming to a halt in the doorway of the girl’s locker room. She turned on her heels, her long, almost silky blonde-brown hair, which she had pulled into a ponytail, hit her in the face with the sharpness of the movement. When she came to a stop, she saw Waverly rushing towards her, her own brown hair bouncing behind her as she moved towards Chrissy. 

Waverly came to a stop. In her sweatshirt-covered arms were a stack of books. Chrissy glanced at the door, and then at her watch. 

_I have to get home,_ she thought, anticipation filling her. She wanted to see Nick and Mikey and her Aunt Helena. She also knew that her dad needed to be careful while unloading the trailer of boxes of things that the trio had brought to the home and didn’t quite trust him to be good. 

Waverly saw the move and her brows furrowed with concern. 

“Hey, you okay?” 

Chrissy brought her hand up to rub at her forehead as she nodded and sighed. 

“Yeah, sorry,” she breathed, rubbing. Waverly looked at her still, eyes full of concern, and Chrissy sighed again. She dropped her hand and instead clasped them together in front of her. 

“Sorry,” she repeated, obviously scattered. “I’m just in a rush. My dad needs me at home. There’s some stuff going on and -” 

Waverly’s stomach dropped, and she tightened the grip on her books. Disappointment coursed in her. 

“So, I guess we’ll study another day?” she had a slightly disappointed tone, and Chrissy felt almost as if she’d been slapped in the face by the reminder. How had she forgotten?

“Shit, that was today, wasn’t it?” Chrissy asked with a sigh. 

Waverly gave Chrissy a reassuring smile, but it did nothing to quell Chrissy’s unease. 

“Chrissy, it’s fine. The test isn’t until next week.” Waverly said reassuringly. Chrissy, however shook her head, resolved. 

“No, we made a plan. I just - Let me call my dad, okay?”

“Chrissy, seriously. It’s fine,” Waverly tried, reaching out and putting a hand on Chrissy’s shoulder. She fixed Chrissy with a genuine smile, trying to put the other teen at ease. “The test isn’t for another week. We can study another night. You know me, I’m just a planner.” 

Chrissy shook her head, her hair bouncing. She slung her messenger bag further onto her shoulder and behind her as she dug her right hand into her coat pocket. 

“We had a plan, and that isn’t changing. Seriously, Waves. My dad will be fine with it. I just need to call him, all right?” Chrissy offered Waverly a smile and watched as the teen relaxed slightly. 

Waverly opened her mouth to say something when she was jostled. 

“Hey, can you two get out of the way? Some of us want to get home, you know.” The voice was full of well-hidden venom, but strong enough to make the two jump. 

Chrissy looked up and past Waverly to find Stephanie standing there, her hip cocked and body full of attitude. Behind Stephanie stood her posse, the rest of the cheer team. Chrissy wanted to roll her eyes, but stepped out of the way and ushered Waverly to do the same. 

“Seriously, let me call my dad. Then we can head for my place,” she smiled reassuringly, and after a moment, Waverly nodded. 

“Only if you really have time, Chrissy. We can seriously study on another day, and I can have Wynonna come pick me up.” 

Going to her recent calls on her phone, Chrissy pressed her father’s icon - a photo of the two of them standing in front of the courthouse the day after she had completed her first-responder training - and waited for him to answer. She tipped the phone and looked at Waverly with a slightly confused look on her face. 

“I thought she was working?” 

Waverly’s face screwed up, and Chrissy immediately understood. Waverly sighed and shrugged. 

“She says she is, but she only works at nights. She sleeps during the day, comes home at like two a.m. reeking of booze. So who knows,” she sighed out. Chrissy nodded understandingly. “Gus isn’t pleased, but she says Wy is working, but she won’t tell me where.” 

Chrissy frowned and was about to speak when the line suddenly came alive. She tipped the phone back towards her mouth. 

“Hey,” came her father’s succinct, very prompt answer. Chrissy held a finger up to Waverly, who smiled and busied herself with juggling her books in order to take her own phone out. 

“Hey, Dad. I’m sorry, I know Auntie Helena and Michael and Nick just got in,” she started, and across the phone, Nedley’s stomach sunk. Nick and Michael had both been vocal about how excited they were to see Chrissy again. Across from Chrissy, however, Waverly’s ears perked up, and she mouthed ‘Aunt Helena? Micheal, Nick?’. Each word was even more incredulous, but Chrissy waved her hand and made a face before she turned back to her phone. Later, then. 

“I’m supposed to study with Waverly today. I forgot, and we have a massive test this week, dad. Can she come over?” 

Nedley paused in his steps. He stood in the kitchen, watching as Helena put away the fruit that the trio had bought for the trip. Being a nurse, it was common for Helena to be very picky about what food, and the boys took it all in stride. Nedley, however, would more than likely have a problem with making sure that he followed the example she was setting. 

“How about this, you get home, see your aunt and your cousins, and Waverly comes by in half an hour,” instead of being phrased like a question, Randy Nedley phrased it as a sentence, and Chrissy immediately knew it wasn’t a suggestion, but rather, how this would go down. Chrissy smiled and looked up at Waverly with a nod. The tension visibly released from Waverly’s shoulders when she saw the nod. 

“Thanks, dad. I’ll be home in five.” 

Chrissy clicked off and turned to Waverly, beaming. Before she could say anything, though, Waverly was speaking.

“Family over for a visit?” 

Chrissy made a slight face and looked down at the phone, which she had dropped to hold between her two hands. The screen rested on her palm as she pursed her lips and shook her head. 

“My Aunt Helena left her husband of 20 years. Nick, Mikey, and Aunt Helena are going to live with us until they can find a rental here in Purgatory. I guess things got really bad, and they were living in a hotel for a few days until Dad told them to get their asses up her, for lack of a better term,” she said softly, trying to keep her voice quiet in case there were a few stragglers in the locker room. The entire school didn’t need to know her family’s business before Nick and Michael had even started school. It would be up to them to decide whether they told people a cliff-notes version of what happened, or said only that they had moved here. Chrissy reached out and put a hand on Waverly’s forearm, clutching her phone tightly in her other hand. 

“No one else gets to know, okay? Seriously, Waves. It- It’s a delicate situation, and I’m telling you because you’re my best friend and I trust you to keep it quiet.” Waverly looked at Chrissy, seeing the seriousness reflected in her eyes. 

Waverly nodded, her face just as serious. 

“Yeah,” she said, a little breathless, “Yeah, Chrissy, this? This goes nowhere. I promise.” 

Chrissy nodded, taking a deep breath. She squeezed Waverly’s forearm and nodded again before she blew out the breath. 

“Thanks, Waves. But, half hour, okay? I’ll introduce you to my cousins,” Chrissy smiled for the first time since things had gotten serious, and Waverly nodded. Though, Chrissy could tell that she was contemplating telling Chrissy they’d reschedule, and to just enjoy her time with her family. But, Waverly seemed to think better of it and simply nodded again, chewing on her lip. 

“Yeah, sounds good. I’ll go to the library, pick up any books we may need, and meet you there?” 

Chrissy beamed, nodding. That sounded perfect. 

“Sounds great,” she breathed. “I’ll see you in a half hour, okay?” 

Chrissy leaned in for a hug and wrapped her free arm around Waverly. The hug meant more than what it seemed - it was a thank you. Chrissy squeezed her and Waverly wrapped her free arm around Chrissy as well, letting the other teen know that her message was received. 

The two parted ways, and before long, Chrissy was moving to exit the locker room and dart down the street towards the house where she knew her aunt and cousins were now residing. 

* * *

A blast of icy wind slammed into Chrissy as she hustled down the street. Chrissy shivered as it bit at the small bit of skin that was exposed by her too-big coat and broke through it to nip at the skin underneath. It slipped through her sleeves, through the gap of the zipper - the one she hadn’t zipped up yet. Shivering, she fixed that and began her hustle towards the place she had called home for the last 15 years of her life. 

Purgatory was, without a doubt, one of those places where it was perpetually cold. Even during the summer, there was the promise of a winter coming, and every resident knew that winter was always right around the corner. Everyone also knew that the weather could, and would, change on a dime. Chrissy herself knew it all too well. 

Chrissy took a right turn and found herself finally on Pine street and, finally, in their neighborhood. Just a few more blocks to go. She was walking when a thought came to her, adding a pep in her step. She began to rush. 

Her cousins were here! They were here, for the first time in over five years! The last time she had seen her cousins, Nick hadn’t been Nick yet, and Michael had still been a stuck-up little asshole football wannabe with nothing on his mind but getting on the 

Chrissy rounded another corner and her eyes immediately darted to the driveway, finding it occupied by a tall, lanky figure that stood in front of the brand-new basketball hoop that had taken up residence in their driveway. Helena, Michael, and Nick must have brought it with them. Not a surprise with how much the Haught family loved their basketball. Really, the Nedley’s did too. It was so infamous that it was practically the town’s worst kept secret, right along with the paranormal aspect. Everyone in Purgatory, born or moved there, knew that there was something different about the town, though no one spoke of it.

 _Wonder how long it’ll take them to pick up on it_ , Chrissy thought as she movedd closer.

Chrissy shook off the thought and returned her attention to the figure in the driveway. He was now doing layups, jumping and throwing the ball up with one hand. When he jumped, sunlight glinted off the figure’s red hair, causing Chrissy’s face to break out into a wide smile. 

Michael! Chrissy thought and started into a jog. She was two blocks from the house, watching as her cousin grabbed the ball from where it was bouncing. 

_Michael!_ Chrissy thought, picking up the pace even further. She was two blocks from the house, watching as her cousin dribbled and got ready to shoot the ball into the net. It had been a good fiveyears since she had seen her cousins, back when things were still filled with unbearable amounts of tension, but when all three of them had been able to ignore it and simply be kids and let the adults handle the adult things.

Chrissy practically speed walked the entire way until he had completed his prep and had the ball all ready to be thrown, and then called out.

“Michael!” 

* * *

“Michael!” 

The figure jumped and turned around to see who had said something. The ball flew towards the net and hit the backboard and went soaring back towards him. A split second after Michael turned, Chrissy realized she had made a mistake. 

It was Nick. 

God, when had he gotten so tall?!

Chrissy’s stomach flipped as she noticed the ball flying towards the back of his head. 

“Nicky!” She pointed, eyes wide, but Nick just raised his hand in the air in a greeting, completely oblivious to the flying object on a collision course with the back of his head.

“No, Nicky! The -” 

The ball hit the back of Nick’s head with a loud _thunk_! He stumbled forward, causing Chrissy to wince audibly. 

“Ooooh, that’s got to hurt,” she mumbled. She rushed to cross the difference and bent over next where her baby cousin was now sitting with his legs crossed under him, hands holding the back of his head while he hunched over. 

“You all right?” she asked between laughs, shaking her head. 

A muffled “Yeah, ‘m fine,” came from the body next to her, and Chrissy just laughed harder. 

“I see you’re still accident prone,” Chrissy said as she finally sat down next to him. Their shoulders touched, and she leaned into the warmth. 

“And what’s with this mop of hair here? I didn’t think you’d be an undercut type of guy.” 

She reached out and ruffled it, making him snort. 

“I’m only accident prone when my cousin mistakes me for my brother,” came the quip, and Nick straightened up, rubbing the back of his head as he looked towards Chrissy. He smiled and knocked shoulders with Chrissy, who did the same. 

“Of course I’d mistake you two!” Chrissy spouted off, sassing back just as much as she got. “You two are both built the same, and that height and haircut? I swear you two are Irish Twins.” 

Having siblings was a thing that had always baffled Chrissy. She had only been four or five when her mom had left without a trace. 5 weeks later, divorce papers had been sent to the home, and Chrissy had never seen her again. To this day, she never knew what had caused the split, and she was a little afraid to ask. The closest thing to a sibling she had were Michael and Nicky.

Warmth bloomed in Nick’s chest. It was the same warmth that he felt when he looked in the mirror these days - when he saw himself. He couldn’t help himself and reached his arm out and slung it over her shoulder, tugging Chrissy towards his side. She leaned in, smiling brightly as she settled against Nick’s right side. 

She remembered when they used to curl up like this, back when things were so much simpler, when they didn’t have to worry about their parent’s expectations of who they were.She remembered when they used to curl up like this, back when things were so much simpler, when they didn’t have to worry about their parent’s expectations of who they were.

“Technically, we are Irish twins,” he said, breaking the slight silence that had appeared between the two. “We have nine months apart.” 

“That’s right,” Chrissy mused. “When’s your birthday? Soon, right?” She acted like she didn’t know, her hand coming to her mouth as she messed with her cousin. 

Nick reached over and shoved her again, and Chrissy dissolved into a fit of giggles. 

“Jerk! You know when it is.” 

Chrissy righted herself and leaned against Nick’s side again as she tried to settle down again. She let out a sigh and looked up at him, playfulness in her eyes and a smile on her face. Then, her face became serious.

“I have to go get ready for Waverly to come over. You going to stay out here and shoot hoops still?” 

“Waverly?” Nick rose an eyebrow, looking at Chrissy with incredulousness. “Your dear cousins come for a visit and you have a friend coming over?” He feigned incredulousness, bringing a hand up to rest on his chest as if he were offended.

Chrissy snorted and pushed him again. 

“Some of us have serious schoolwork due. Which, get ready for. Purgatory teachers can be _dicks_!” 

Nick groaned and flopped onto his back, staring up at the sky. He was already ready to drop out. While Nick was smart, he could also be very scatterbrained. It was something that appeared in his schoolwork, and something he fought daily. The Ritalin he took for ADHD only helped so much, and he doubted that a small school like Purgatory High would follow an IEP to the letter. 

_Does my IEP even follow me across the national lines?_ Something to ask Uncle Nedley and Mom about. 

Nick huffed playfully and waved Chrissy off. 

“Go, get ready for your study date - I guess it’s a study date. I’ll tell her to come in when she gets here.” 

Chrissy entered the home with a quick shout of “I’m home!” and made her way into the dining room. Her face lit up when she saw Helena standing next to the head of the table, pointing at something that her father held in his hands. 

“Auntie H!” she dropped her bag next to one of the seats as Helena turned towards her and gave her a smile that rivaled the excitement in Chrissy’s own. 

“Mini! Get over here and give your aunt a hug!” 

Chrissy dropped her bag on the floor, leaning it against the leg of the table before she rushed around the corner of the table to wrap her Aunt into a hug. 

“You shot up like a weed, kiddo!” Helena announced, pulling away and using her hand to measure where Chrissy now stood. Neither Nedley nor Helena had really inherited the family’s height, but Chrissy, Nick and Michael had all seemed to do so. They all joked that it was a recessive gene that had left them all shorter than the rest of the family, but both Nedley and Helena knew the actual reason why. 

“That’s what happens when you grow up,” Chrissy laughed, pulling away slightly. She smiled brightly as she looked at her aunt. “Is Michael upstairs?” 

Helena rolled her eyes and sighed, “Probably up there playing that infernal game of his. Go on up, your father and I will be done here in a few minutes and I’ll make you and your friend something to eat when she gets here.”

Chrissy nodded and, with one last hug with her aunt, was flying up the stairs to see Michael. 

She bounded up them, taking them two at a time before she came to a stop in front of the door that used to house Randy Nedley’s upstairs study. They’d moved it downstairs and combined it with the room that Chrissy used to do her art in in order to make room for the boys. They’d paired down their storage room and turned it into a small room for Helena, and Chrissy had to admit that she liked it a little bit better than what they had already been doing with the home. Even after only ten minutes in the home, Chrissy Nedley was in love with how full of life it now was. 

Chrissy knocked on the door and then pushed it open. 

“Mikey!” 

“Eeey! Chrissy!” Michael jumped up off the bed and threw the DS down to wrap her into a hug. “Holy shit you got tall!” 

“Don’t let your mom hear you talking like that,” she giggled. Helena Haught was not one to allow cursing. “That’s what she said too, minus the curse. 

“What, you going to tell on me? Rude.” Michael pulled away from the hug and sighed, looking at her. 

“I can’t believe how long it’s been. And what’s with you and Nicky’s hair? I swear, you’re like twins!” 

Michael laughed and brought his hand up to rub at the back of his head. He’d gotten an undercut with Nick back when Nick wasn’t Nick at all, back when he wasn’t anything but what lied in Nick’s mind in secret. He’d wanted to protect his sibling from his father by getting the same haircut, and it had just stuck. 

“We’re te-”

“Technically irish twins, yeah, yeah, I know,” Chrissy rolled her eyes playfully and pushed his shoulder. 

“Tell me everything that’s been going on, I have a half hour,” she said with a glint in her eye that made Michael gulp. 

* * *

Nick watched as Chrissy went back inside and left him alone in the front yard. He sighed, taking a few moments to just be. He stared, wondering just what his old friends were doing without him. A fleeting thought overtook his mind. 

_I could text Shae,_ he thought, now worrying at his lip. He reached into his pocket and took out his phone, holding it aloft from his head. He opened the screen up after inputting his passcode and tapped on his messaging app. 

His text messages had been dead since the moment he had told a wide number of his friends that he was trans. It had, of course, ripped through the school life wildfire, and before he knew it, Nick Haught had been mostly friendless in the span of a day. Except for Shae. She had stayed, though her communication was sporadic at best. 

Lately, she hadn’t responded at all. Nick contemplated sending her a text message, to let her know that he was arrived and well, but what was the point if she never responded? It was always him messaging, she never initiated the first text. 

_It’s better to just let her live her life without having to deal with me,_ he thought, turning off the screen and tucking the phone back into the pocket of his basketball shorts. He stood up, grabbed the ball, and began to dribble. 

He faked left, faked right, and seemed to be in an invisible battle with a force only he knew and recognized. He played against himself, trying his best to anticipate what would happen on an actual court. He pivoted on his heel and started towards the basketball hoop, all the while doing his best to hype himself up. 

“Haught lines up a shot, he’s going to make it, folks! Here comes the line up, and -” 

Nick shot the ball, imaging the roar of the crowd quieting down as he let it soar through the air towards the net. His arms remained in position as the ball soared and then slid smoothly through, nothing but net. 

“He scores! There we have it folks, Nick Haught has shot the winning basket!” Nick’s smile split his face, and he quickly moved to grab the ball as it bounced back towards him. All thoughts of his previous friends were gone, replaced with the elation that he always felt when he was in the zone. He often used to get made fun of when he was younger for even doing something like this, but it never failed to help him get into the basketball mood.

Across the way, Waverly slowed to a slow walk as she watched this new figure shooting hoops in her best friend’s driveway. She couldn’t remember there ever being a guy living at the home besides Randy Nedley. While he enjoyed basketball, she’d never seen Nedley in the driveway shooting hoops, and, in fact, she’d never seen that basketball hoop. This must have been one of the cousins that Chrissy had been talking about. 

_Is it Nick -_ she stopped. Nicholas, or Nick? The two were often related to each other, and she hadn’t actually asked if Nick was Nicholas or just Nick. Or was he Nicky? And Michael - was he Mike, or Micheal? Oh god, what if she used the wrong name, what if she offended them by saying the wrong name? She was over at Chrissy’s all the time, and she wouldn’t be able to face Chrissy nor her aunt and cousins. 

Waverly gulped, feeling her stomach swoop. Oh god, What if she fucked this up? 

The figure in the driveway grabbed the ball from the air and began to dribble. They faked out to the left, then to the right, and then turned on their heels to double back, heading away from the basket. Then, in a flash, they pivoted and jumped, all the while sending the ball flying through the air and towards the basket. Waverly held her breath as she stood there, clutching one hand on the strap of her messenger bag and the other gripping at the books held in her arm. 

The ball swished in, and Waverly felt a rush of excitement hitting her for the figure. Said person let out a whoop of joy and jumped, pumping their fist into the air before they grabbed the ball from the air and stood there for a moment. 

Waverly walked closer, adjusting the books in her arms. She tucked them closer and watched her breath puff out into the air in front of her. As she walked, Waverly took a moment to look at the person now standing still. Their fiery hair was a mess, most likely from where they had been running their hand through their hair, and they wore a tank-top with a - was that an undershirt? She shook off the line of thought and made her way closer. 

“That was amazing!” Waverly couldn’t help herself. The figure jumped and turned around, turning their attention to where Waverly stood at the edge of the driveway. 

Waverly immediately knew she was in trouble. 

The teenager was good looking, now identifiable as a guy, and from his smile to the way he held himself, Waverly knew for a fact that she was in deep trouble. This was Chrissy’s cousin, and she couldn’t help but notice just how cute he was. His chin was well-defined, and paired with the firey red hair and a smattering of little freckles across his cheeks, he was definitely Waverly’s type. She fought to keep the blush from slipping onto her cheeks as the teen grabbed his ball and tucked it against his side. 

“Thanks,” he himself blushed a little, more than likely from being caught by someone. “You must be Waverly, right?” 

Waverly nodded, sticking her hand out to shake his. 

“Nick. Nick Haught,” he announced, shaking her hand with a smile that made Waverly’s heart skip a beat. She was definitely in even more trouble if this is what the Haught siblings looked like. 

“Chrissy’s inside. I’d show you the way but I literally just moved in two hours ago, and I’d imagine you have a better lay of the land than I do,” Nick joked, and Waverly giggled. 

Nick felt his own heart begin to race as he really took in Waverly Earp. Why hadn’t Chrissy warned him that she was cute? She wasn’t particularly tall. In fact, Waverly Earp was definitely on the shorter and more petite side of things. Her long brown hair bounced behind her when she walked, leaving Nick entranced. He swallowed hard, feeling absolutely blown over by how beautiful she was. 

“Uh, yeah, I probably do. It was really nice to meet you, Nick,” Waverly said with a gentle, shy smile and then darted off towards the door. Nick stood there, watching her leave. When she had entered the house, Nick let out a low whistle and shook his head. 

Maybe Purgatory wouldn’t be so damn bad after all. 


End file.
